In software-defined computing (SDC), a computing infrastructure is virtualized and delivered as a service. For example, in a software-defined storage (SDS) system storage hardware is separated from software that manages the storage infrastructure. In SDS, the software managing a software-defined storage environment may also provide policy management for features such as deduplication, replication, thin provisioning, snapshots and backup. By definition, SDS software is separate from the hardware it is managing, and can be implemented via appliances over a traditional Storage Area Network (SAN), or implemented as part of a scaled-out Network-Attached Storage (NAS) solution, or as the basis of an Object-based storage solution.
Implementing an SDS system enables enterprises to use their own server and disk infrastructure for assembling, setting up, and executing one or more enterprise-class storage systems. The SDS systems can incorporate vendor specific storage technology that is typically supplied as a virtual appliance, often referred to as a distributed virtual storage system.
The description above is presented as a general overview of related art in this field and should not be construed as an admission that any of the information it contains constitutes prior art against the present patent application.